The Applications of POCT in Infection Diagnosis
Point of Care Testing (POCT), as its name suggests, is the testing performed near or at the site of a patient, with the result leading to possible change in the patient’s care[1]. The definition highlights the two features: The test is easy to access, and results are released instantly. Considering its convenience and efficiency, POCT has gained huge momentum, especially in infection diagnosis. In this article, we will briefly introduce how POCT applies in infection diagnosis.
The Application Scenarios of POCT
Clinical diagnostics
POCT is gaining popularity in medicine, with extensive sub-disciplines including microbiology, hematology, genetics, and immunology. Prompt testing can be used to detect blood glucose, blood types, and infectious diseases and can also be found in pregnant testing and tumour marker detection. POCT accelerates clinical diagnostics, making room for in-time treatment.
Community-based healthcare
Healthcare facility construction in rural areas faces more obstacles than those in urban areas, considering factors like workforce shortage, economics, and social differences. Besides, according to the most recent UN Population Division’s “World Urbanization Prospects”, rural residents in most populated countries are older, meaning higher demands for regular checks against rather shoddier healthcare construction.[2] Since the central laboratories are far from reach, POCT can compensate. Besides, POCT allows healthcare providers to monitor patients’ physical conditions remotely.
Public health prevention and control
Infection diagnosis is the first step to contain the spreading of potentially sabotaging infections, like flu and tuberculosis, and blood-borne infections, like HIV, HBV, and HCV. Although POCT prioritizes portability and easy management, accuracy is further optimized. It will facilitate the construction of a tracking and management system, providing patients access to the appropriate treatment while minimizing the potential loss.
What’s Good About POCT in Infection Diagnosis?
Efficiency and accuracy
POCT can decrease the report-gaining period, supporting healthcare providers to make clinical decisions and interventions , which is crucial for time-sensitive conditions. Besides, POCT instruments boast a pollutant-resistance structure, which allows their ability to be POC without operation in centralized labs.
Easy management
POCT streamlines the testing process by integrating it seamlessly into patient care workflows, reducing the need for separate steps or visits. Modern POCT instruments often feature intuitive interfaces, making them easy to use even for non-specialized healthcare personnel.
Portable devices
Portable POCT devices can be taken to the patient’s bedside, in remote locations, or even used for outreach programs in communities with limited access to healthcare facilities. Portable POCT devices are also valuable in fieldwork, disaster response, and mobile clinics, providing rapid diagnostic capabilities where centralized labs are unavailable.
Sansure POCT in Respiratory & HPV Infections diagnosis
For years, Sansure has forged a developed POCT system that currently focuses on respiratory tract infection (RTI) and STI&HPV.
Sansure in POC RTI Infection diagnosis
The global market for Respiratory Disease Testing, previously estimated at US$3.1 billion in 2022, is projected to undergo substantial expansion, reaching a revised size of US$4.2 billion by 2030[3]. The surging trend indicates the importance of on-time diagnosis. Most RTIs are caused by viruses and bacteria, and the virus test ranges from viral culture, rapid antigen, and direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) to molecular method. Among all molecular methods, direct identification of viral RNA or DNA by PCR, Multiplex PCR or Real-Time PCR proved to be more sensitive and specific.[4]
Sansure provides POC RTI molecular diagnosis solutions that cover SARS-CoV, Six Respiratory Pathogens (Flu A, Flu B, RSV, AdV, HRV, and MP), and other RTI pathogens. The Sansure RTI POCT can finish extracting nucleic acid within 30 minutes. And one can have the results in 15-60 minutes, and some tests can be done even in 8 minutes.
Sansure in POC HPV Infection Diagnosis
In 2022, the World Health Organization released a report on cervical cancer, illustrating the fact that cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women, while a large majority of cervical cancer (more than 95%) is due to the human papillomavirus (HPV).[5]
Advances in isothermal amplification and lateral flow detection offer an opportunity to develop a point-of-care (POC) hrHPV mRNA test that is accurate, affordable, and can be performed in low-resource settings. Sansure provides 6 POC HPV testing kits that adopt fluorescence PCR and have been proven to be sensitive and accurate. The HPV POCT solution can access the widest range of people, assuring the HPV diagnosis can be accurate and efficient.
Conclusion
Sansure believes infection diagnosis is a critical part of public health management. Infection diagnosis should leave no one behind; it should not be a privilege for the rich but for the infrastructure in every corner. The development and provocation of POCT is the practical approach to even the testing chances and ultimately benefit humankind. Join hands with Sansure to create a brighter future where infectious diseases can be stifled due to early detection and right-time treatment.
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